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Deckert takes City League golf title

BY MATT BROWNING

Wichita Eagle correspondent

Heights' golfer Travis Deckert had three goals going into this season: Win the City League individual title, be the regional champion, and finish as one of the top 10 medalists at state.

He can go ahead and check that first one off his list.

The regular season scoring leader continued his stellar play with a one-over par 72 at MacDonald Golf Course Thursday afternoon to win medalist honors by two strokes over David Auer of Kapaun Mount Carmel.

The Crusaders won the team title with a 302.

"The last two years I've been close," Deckert said. "So to succeed this year is pretty cool."

Deckert was as steady as it gets on the front side. He hit four out of seven fairways and seven greens en route to nine pars. Seven of those pars were two putts, but he missed four birdie chances inside 20 feet.

"I went for a few more pins, since the greens were softer than usual," Deckert said. "But for the most part I was trying to play for accuracy and go for the middle of the greens."

Also playing with Deckert in the first group was A.J. Gebert from Kapaun, Zac Bayless from Northwest and Grant Burnside from Southeast. All three fell behind Deckert quickly. Burnside opened with consecutive bogies, Bayless tripled bogeyed the third hole, and Gebert double-bogeyed the par 5 sixth.

Auer, who played in the second group, was as consistent as Deckert on the front side. He had seven pars, a bogey on 5 and birdie on 6 for an even par 35.

"I just really grinded all day," Auer said. "There wasn't anything special to it. Just get up and down and make pars."

The par streak continued for Deckert on the back side, as he parred 10 through 15. Ball striking continued to be Deckert's asset. He hit the green on 10, 11, 14 and 15. For the round, he hit 67 percent of the greens in regulation.

Through the 15th hole, Auer was one over par and remained well within striking distance of Deckert, and all he needed was a chance.

And he got it, as Deckert's string of pars was snapped with a bogey on 16 and another one on 17. Auer went bogey, par on the two holes and was tied standing on the 18th tee.

Nearly avoiding disaster, Deckert's tee shot on the 18th landed just short of a pond. He had 140 yards to the green for his second shot. His 9-iron approach landed 10 feet past the pin, leaving him with a tricky down-hill putt. After missing out on numerous birdie chances, Deckert finally got one to fall as his birdie putt lipped in for a 72.

"All day long I tried to be consistent with my putting," Deckert said. "I'm glad I finally got that last one to fall."

Figuring a birdie would give him a chance, Auer went for it. His tee shot found the rough, but he had a shot at the green. In what turned out to be an unlucky break, his approach went long and hit the cart path, ending any birdie chance. He bogeyed 18 for a 74.

"My score could have been a 71 or 72 and I could have won this," Auer said. "But Travis played well and I'm happy for him."

Individual -- 1. Deckert, Heights 35-37--72; 2. Auer, Kapaun 35-39--74; 3. Cantele, Kapaun 37-38--75; T4. Burnside, Southeast 39-37--76; T4. Childs, Bishop Carroll 39-37--76; T4. Gebert, Kapaun 39-37--76; T7. Stuber, Southeast 37-40--77; T7. Salome 40-37--77; T7. Gilkeson 39-38--77; T10. Ringer, East 40-39--79; T10. Shiada, Heights 39-40--79; T12. Wright, North 41-39--80; T12. Lazzo, Kapaun 44-36--80; T12. Hoover, East 42-38--80; T12. Horn, South 41-39--80.

Team -- Kapaun Mount Carmel 302 (Auer 74, Cantele 75, Gebert 76, Gilkeson 77, Lazzo 80, Glasgow 89); Southeast 312 (Burnside 76, Stuber 77, Salome 77, Hammond 82, Belot 92, Miller 99); Bishop Carroll 331 (Childs 76, Iseman 83, Smith 86, Peterson 86, Hageman 88, Cooper 91); North 335 (Wright 80, Frankamp 84, Mark Wohler 85, Harshfield 86, Lent 89, Marin Wohler 94); Heights 340 (Deckert 72, Shiada 79, Wilson 92, Leeds 97, Piland 98, Zielke 99); Northwest 341 (Campos 84, Bayless 85, Brooks 85, Eaton 87, Pierce 93, Bishop 101); East 347 (Ringer 79, Hoover 80, Shelley 91, Heiman 97, Wagner 100, Smith 102); South 411 (Horn 80, Thull 93, N. Donlay 113, J. Donlay 125); West 467 (Breese 101, Kingrey 109, Retzlaff 123, Keplay 134, Percival 138).